by Joe Siegel

Philadelphia Gay News (PGN), San Francisco’s Bay Area Reporter (BAR), and Wilton Manors-based OutSFL teamed up to provide features commemorating LGBTQ History Month during October.

In one piece, reporter Victoria A. Brownworth wrote about the history of lesbians and sports, including the historic 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match between tennis stars Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Although Riggs was favored to win, King defeated Riggs in straight sets.

“Billie Jean King will make history again as the first female athlete to be awarded a Congressional Gold Medal after the House passed bipartisan legislation in favor of granting her that honor on Sept. 17,” Brownworth wrote. “The 80-year-old lesbian tennis legend will receive the nation’s highest civilian honor in recognition of King’s ‘lifetime of work fighting for Title IX, and women’s and LGBTQ+ equality on and off the tennis court,’ per a House statement.”

Another story in PGN focused on the meaning of homosexuality in the Bible and how it has evolved over time.

“Some anti-LGBTQ+ Christians now promote dozens of additional passages through a queerphobic lens,” wrote reporter Lauren Rowello. “This has resulted in countless experiences of religious trauma — creating both internal and external conflicts for people brought up in queerphobic faith traditions. … One study showed that the religious views of parents doubled suicide risk for LGBTQ+ young adults. Conversion therapy — which is largely pursued by parents and offered by religious leaders — can also double an LGB person’s risk for suicide attempt.”

Matthew Bajko, the BAR’s assistant editor, wrote about the addition of a transgender clinic website to a national health archive.

“A national repository for historic medical information has added the website of a San Francisco health clinic focused on transgender patients to its collection,” Bajko wrote. “It is part of the newly created Sexual and Gender Minority Health web archive that is gathering LGBTQ health resources to preserve them in perpetuity.”

On October 3, OutSFL ran a story about the Miami-Dade School Board’s refusal to recognize October as LGBTQ History Month.

“The resolution, proposed by board member Lucia Baez-Geller and rejected in a 5-3 vote, would be a symbolic gesture that advocates say would help create a supportive environment for LGBTQ children and their families in schools,” reporter Clinton Engelberger wrote. “… LGBTQ laws and proposals affecting public schools have been a hot-button issue as of late. HB 1069, dubbed [the] ‘Don’t Say Gay’ [law] by critics, was signed by [Florida] Gov. Ron DeSantis last year to prevent schools from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms.”

IN THE NEWS
Volume 26
Issue 8